{"data":{"ID":550,"Class":"Conversation","Created":1446133506,"CreatorID":4735,"RevisionID":null,"Status":"Accepted","Title":"What are they thinking?  Understanding the Adolescent Mind","Handle":"what_are_they_thinking-understanding_the_adolescent_mind","ShortDescription":"Have you ever wondered, \"What is going on inside their heads?  Why do they put themselves at risk when they understand and know the consequences involved?  Why aren't they focused?  How can I motivate them?\"  This conversation will explore brain research to understand how changes in the adolescent brain impact their decisions and what interventions can be taken to help teens develop a healthy mind while and boost their learning.","Description":"Based on the research of Daniel Siegel, M.D. and his book Brainstorm we will discuss myths about teenagers and the qualities of teens that Dr. Siegel describes as the ESSENCE of adolescence (Emotional Spark, Social Engagement, Novelty, and Creative Exploration).  We will look at the research and discuss implications for our teaching.  If we know how the adolescent brain develops, how does this impact the way we think about teaching and learning in our classrooms.  We will also look at some of the strategies proposed by Dr. Siegel for fostering, nurturing, and exercising the adolescent brain so that students are able to link the limbic (emotion generating) area with their frontal lobe (thinking and decision making).  We will discuss how we can integrate these exercises into our teaching.  This discussion will be structured using an adaptation of the reflective conversation proposed by Dr. Siegel and the Harkness discussion model.  This will allow participants to engage the ideas proposed by Dr. Siegel through a modification of one of his strategies for promoting brain integration.","Link":[],"Audience":["High School","Middle School"],"Practice":"Teachers will be a part of the conversation by following the reflective conversation protocols I've developed for use in my classroom.  Teachers will go through the process while also discussing and sharing ideas.  I will also use TAG cards at the end of the session for teachers to Tell what they liked, Ask a question, or Give advice.  These responses will be posted (anonymously) on a weebly site dedicated to this conversation.","Presenter":["Carl Ackerman"],"PresenterAffiliation":["Constitution High School"],"PresenterEmail":["ackermancarl@gmail.com"],"ScheduleSlotID":61,"ScheduleLocationID":6,"SubmitterID":4735,"AdditionalComments":null,"LiveChannel":null,"Hashtag":null,"VokleID":null,"RecordingURL":null,"ConferenceID":5}}